Posts tagged IPL

He first stood out on Indian Idol 3 as ‘the Chinese dentist guy’ whose ouster lead to judge Alisha Chinai walking out in tears.

Then he made a comeback on the show as its host in the next season. His anchoring skills then led him to IPL. Bollywood was naturally the next stop.

In an industry where the onscreen show is more or less dominated by the Rajs, Rahuls, Kapoors and Malhotras, it’s always a pleasant surprise to find a character from cultural minority groups play a pivotal role without being reduced to a stereotype.

Also the reason why Meiyang Chang’s debut, with his significantly un-Bollywood looks in last Friday’s Badmaash Company makes one sit up and take notice.

In the film Chang’s character Zing’s origins are clearly defined - he is from Sikkim. But the fresh-faced newbie is quick to add that the work that has come his way so far has been irrespective of his looks and he never has had to justify them. “When I participated in Indian Idol I did not expect to make inroads and have people vote for me. Yes, my first film does mention that I’m from the North East but there is a very strong reason for that.”

Clearly, he knows he’s different from the rest of the assembly-line production of bicep-flaunting, smooth-talking actors-singer-anchors. “There are thousands of people who fit the ‘conventional’ make but have not made it. I think I’m extremely lucky to look the way I do and have got this film,” he says, a tad philosophically.

Pics: Nilesh Wairkar

Unconventional also was his choice of profession and his family of dentists took some timeaccepting his career. “Once Indian Idol wrapped up, some members of my extended family told me to keep the mic away and return to the clinic,” he laughs. “It was my parents who urged me to give it a shot. They felt I might stick around - for 10 days or 10 years!”

Chang’s fame, however, has had one interesting offshoot - unconsciously, he appears to have become the face of the Indian Chinese community. “We are in a minority and wish for representation in certain fields. I did not intentionally set out to become this but now I’m proud of it,” he shrugs.

Of course, what started it all was his flair for music which found apt platform on Indian Idol. His elimination was a shock to many considering his huge popularity but his hard work paid off when he made a comeback as an anchor.

Somewhere down the line he made one hasty decision that, in retrospect, paid off big time. After his audition for the role of Zing, he agreed to be part of the film without reading the script. “This film takes away my image as a singer and MC. I did not know how long the role was or who my co-stars were. Thank god I went with my instinct,” he says.

While he claims to bear little resemblance to his character - that of an alcoholic - his film experience had him bonding well with his co-stars too. Prod the dentist in him and he says that Anushka Sharma has great teeth while Shahid Kapoor, like him, needs some work on his lower set of dentures. “Maybe the two of us can visit the dentist together,” he jokes.

It’s not all fun and games though. Controversy has already marred Chang’s debut. The grapevine was bubbling with news of his girlfriend Indian Idol 2 contestant Monali Thakur, putting in a word for him to music director Pritam who in turn urged director Parmeet Sethi to pick Chang.

His response is the standard Bollywood response to such gossip. “When the news broke out, the three of us had a good laugh and promised to work together in the future,” he laughs, adding he had a  gameplan to protect himself from all negativities - remain distant and unaffected.

That’s probably because he has much to look forward to. “I don’t want to place all my eggs in one basket. I’ve just started out in Bollywood but I’d like to continue in other fields too. I’m keeping my options open,” he says. So now that the hosting and acting boxes have been explored, Chang plans on returning to singing and sketching, something he’s great at. Considering the path he’s tread so far, it’s sure to be one uncoventional sketch.